A talented musician from Detroit, who goes simply by the name Rodriguez, cuts a couple of records in the early '70s. They flop; what's new? This is new: They become wild successes in, of all places, South Africa, utterly unbeknownst to the artist, who has disappeared without a trace and is presumed dead. The South Africans believe romantic myths of his demise. But undaunted filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul, seeking the truth about his death, finds more than he bargained for when he uncovers the reclusive artist living modestly, completely unaware of his superstar status hundreds of miles away.